


Alone Together

by sunaddicted



Series: Tumblr Prompts 2018 [6]
Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Adorable, Character Study, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Future Fic, Lazy Mornings, M/M, Morning Cuddles, No Plot/Plotless, Slice of Life, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-25
Updated: 2018-02-25
Packaged: 2019-03-23 23:44:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13798848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunaddicted/pseuds/sunaddicted
Summary: “We can’t always be in the mood for something flashy”“This is Gotham” Edward pointed out, waving his spatula in the air in a chiding manner “Everyone and everything has got to have flair, we have standards and a reputation to keep up”





	Alone Together

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for @witchunters who asked for future!Nygmobblepot

_Alone Together_

Edward didn’t know why Oswald insisted on giving the help free Mondays: they could afford to keep enough staff that, with carefully planned rotation, they would never have to deal with their own laundry or waste time cooking when they could be cuddling in bed or taking a nice bath together. Every time he asked, Oswald’s answer never changed - well, the wording did but the meaning was always the same: they could still look after themselves, they hadn’t been spoilt to the point that they couldn’t even do their own laundry (which, in the end, only amounted to sheets and other various bits, since their suits were all rigorously shipped to the dry cleaner) or put together something to eat without having to resort to ordering in.

And Oswald liked the privacy - that was the point that Edward never contested because he had to admit that it did feel nice, the knowledge that they were the only two souls in the Manor; at some point, they had moved back in the great old house that for years they had used as a venue to host parties and charity events (it was believable, when it was the Penguin who organised one even if he was a Rogue), escaping the city’s frenetic life: Oswald’s sleep had grown lighter over the years and Edward had put his foot down when his lover woke up the fifth night in a row after hearing the noise of gunshots and the screeching of tires on the wet asphalt.

It had done them good - for both their physical and psychological health - and while Edward missed a bit living in the middle of the city, they still had plenty of apartments and safehouses scattered around Gotham - ready to be used whenever they were in need of a more central base of operations, close to the hottest situations so that they could operate a speedy intervention.

“You look cheerful this morning” Oswald hummed in greeting, shedding his thick robe on a chair; it was dusted with snow and the newspaper smelled of wet ink that would smudge if he pressed his fingers for too long on the printed words - Edward was going to hate that, he would have to wait in order to do the crossword.

Maybe he could put the page on the heater, so that it would be dry by the time they finished breakfast.

“I like snow” Edward answered, briefly turning around to smile at Oswald before he focused again on the batter in front of him, adding blueberries to it before he started putting dollops on the warm pan “We could go out for a walk, if your knee is up to it”

Oswald flexed his leg a little, testing it and shrugged: the cold wasn’t exactly a friend for damaged tendons and busted joints but Oswald figured that with the brace on and his cane, he would be able to walk a little in the snow “Sure. I could secure an heating pad around it, just to keep it from cramping up too badly”

It wasn’t a bad idea and Edward started humming, pleased that they had some kind of plan for the rest of the morning; it wasn’t that he didn’t know the meaning of days off, he just disliked being idle - he craved something to do or his body would fill with pent-up energy “What made the first page today?” Edward inquired, fiddling with the knob of the stove before he started on the first pancake; it was a quick and easy breakfast food to make, which left Edward with enough time to whip up his own fresh cream and experiment with making all kind of sauces to put on them: that morning, it was a concoction of mangoes that had become too ripe for their tastes and strawberries.

“The Joker has dangled someone from a rooftop, our resident Flying Rat saved the day and our favourite clown has won a trip to Arkham” not that Jerome would stay there for more than a couple of days or so - a few weeks at most.

“Boring”

Oswald couldn’t help snorting at the other’s tone of voice: well into his fourties, with hair more silver than brown these days, Edward still managed to sound like a bratty child and Oswald loved it - even when his lover drove him insane with harebrained schemes that only a kid on a sugar high could have concocted “We can’t always be in the mood for something flashy”

“This is Gotham” Edward pointed out, waving his spatula in the air in a chiding manner “Everyone and everything has got to have flair, we have standards and a reputation to keep up”

“As the freakiest city in the States?”

“Our own Caped Crusader goes around dressed as a bat”

Oswald really couldn’t deny what was evident and it was true that Batman could boast of having the most colourful gallery of Rogues. He flicked the newspaper open, scanning the financial pages and making mental notes about possible investments he could look into while Edward resumed his humming, the noises of the kitchen a faint soundtrack: no matter that he’s been waking up to that exact same scene -

or a variation thereof - for almost a decade, Oswald still was amazed by how lucky he was.

Their lives were admittedly hectic - they were the Penguin and the Riddler, after all - and it was on those Mondays when they didn’t rush through the hours that Oswald really got to enjoy how much of a domestic couple they had become, basking into the warmth and affection that seemed to fluctuate in the air around them.

The clinking of the plates shook Oswald out of his thoughts and he pushed the newspaper away “It smells amazing, love” he complimented, using his good foot to draw the chair out for Edward.

“Let’s hope it tastes good too, I experimented with the sauce” he warned before taking a sip of the fragrant tea; before meeting Oswald, Edward had always settled for cheap teabags that he overbrew in order to get as much theine as possible in his system - but his lover had opened up a world to him and Edward was a bit embarrassed to admit that he had become a bit of a tea snob. Well, it wasn’t his fault if he finally understood the difference right?

“Your tastebuds are too sensitive to mix together ingredients that don’t go well together” Oswald said in a reassuring manner, one hand briefly dropping under the table so that he could caress Edward’s thigh, fingers petting the soft flannel of his pyjama pants.

It was true but Edward also knew that his tastes and Oswald’s weren’t necessarily aligned - as demonstrated by the fact that his lover enjoyed a healthy heaping of onions in those dishes that traditionally required it “There’s some honey, if you don’t like it”

They never talked much during breakfast - not because they didn’t have much to say to each other, but because it had always been a sort of sacred meal for them; it often was the only granted moment of peace before a trying day and both of them cherished and enjoyed one another presence in silence, only the clinking of cutlery against the china to fill the silence.

Edward had never found anyone else with whom he was able to share silence so well - not even with his mirror personality.

As they ate, Edward leaned a little against Oswald’s side in order to enjoy being close to his lover, trying not to hinder his movements too much; Oswald wasn’t the neatest eater he had ever met - he licked his fingers, made obscene noises of enjoyment and attacked the food with voracious appetite whenever he was stressed - but Edward had grown used to it: there were worse faults to have.

“Maybe you should catch another hour or so of sleep” Oswald murmured, caressing Edward’s ruffled hair.

“I’m not tired”

Oswald arched an eyebrow, amused by Edward’s reply “You’re literally falling asleep on my shoulder, love. The snow won’t melt if you catch a bit more rest”

“The dishes”

“I’ll do them” Oswald reassured, nudging Edward a little with his elbow “Come on, there’s a chaise longue with your name on it in the office”

Edward grumbled a little but he had been struck by a sudden bout of drowsiness - goddamned age catching up on him - and Oswald was right that they could go for their walk a little later “Okay, but promise to wake me in an hour”

“I will, love” Oswald murmured, kissing his lover’s forehead “I promise I will”

**Author's Note:**

> My askbox is always open @sunaddicted on Tumblr


End file.
